Florida Receives $440,000 in USDA Farm to School Grant Funds

Clint Thompson Florida

Tallahassee, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will award $440,913 to six Florida-based recipients for the Farm to School Grant program. The Florida awardees include the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and its direct support organization Florida Agriculture in the Classroom. USDA Farm to School Grants support a wide range of activities …

USDA Designates 10 Georgia Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Clint Thompson Georgia

Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available WASHINGTON, July 7, 2020 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 10 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to recent natural disasters may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.  This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend …

USDA Reminds Producers to Complete Crop Acreage Reports

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia

Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after spring planting are being reminded to make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office before the July 15 deadline. While that date is a major deadline for most crops, acreage reporting deadlines do vary by county and by crop. Contact your FSA county office for …

USDA Designates Two Alabama Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Clint Thompson Alabama

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2020 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated two Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Baldwin and Mobile counties who suffered losses due to recent drought, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering …

Trump Administration Invests More Than $12.5 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Georgia

Clint Thompson Georgia

CARES Act ReConnect Funding to Connect 2,779 Rural Households to High-Speed Broadband United States Department of Agriculture WASHINGTON, June 25, 2020 – The Trump Administration announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $12.5 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Georgia. This investment is part of the $100 …

Judge Rules Glyphosate Doesn’t Require Cancer Warning

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia

A federal judge this week sided with an agriculture coalition issuing a permanent injunction against the California warning requirement of Proposition 65 for glyphosate. The ruling removes the cancer warning on glyphosate. The judge in the case says providing misleading or false labels to consumers “undermines California’s interest in accurately informing its citizens of health risks.” Two years ago, the …

Georgia Produce Safety Program Inspections Underway Again

Clint Thompson Fruits, Georgia, Vegetables

During COVID-19, the Georgia Produce Safety Program, through the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), suspended many of its normal activities. But according to Education and Outreach Associate, Elizabeth Danforth, some of those have started back up again. In following Governor Kemp’s guidelines, Danforth said that as of last week they started doing inspections again. And Elizabeth notes they’ve also started …

Farmworkers: DeSantis’ Remarks ‘Shameful’

Clint Thompson Florida

(NSF) – Farm workers are pushing back after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said clusters of “overwhelmingly Hispanic” day laborers and agriculture workers are the source for Florida’s recent surge in coronavirus cases. The Republican governor told reporters on Tuesday that migrant workers and Hispanic construction workers have been testing positive for COVID-19, in part, because of cramped living and working …

USDA Expands Farmers.gov Features to Manage Conservation Activities

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia

New self-service features on farmers.gov will help farmers and ranchers manage their conservation activities online and request assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Producers can access these conservation features by desktop computer, tablet or phone. They can now: View, download and e-sign documents; Request conservation assistance; Reference technical terms and submit questions; Access information …

Farmworkers: DeSantis’ Remarks ‘Shameful’

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Labor and Immigration

Farm workers are pushing back after Gov. Ron DeSantis said clusters of “overwhelmingly Hispanic” day laborers and agriculture workers are the source for Florida’s recent surge in coronavirus cases. The Republican governor told reporters on Tuesday that migrant workers and Hispanic construction workers have been testing positive for COVID-19, in part, because of cramped living and working conditions. “Some of …